Stigmatized for life
Elvis Labonté was
arrested nearly six months ago on Praslin on suspicion of rape. Yet after
spending 48 hours in police custody, the man was released and no charge
pressed. But the damage had already been done: he lost his job and he is
stigmatised on Praslin where he lives. And in a poignant reversal of roles, he
has been chasing the police for the past months so that he can clear his name
but the police are dodging him. He even went to the Human Rights Commission, in
vain.
The rape was
allegedly committed on 1 January of this year. Elvis Labonté, a 48 year old
resident of Baie St Anne Praslin says that his arrest was completely arbitrary
and unjust. He was detained on Praslin, then Mahé for 48 hours altogether and
then released without so much as an explanation or a return ticket home. He
avers that he is stigmatized by the community over the whole incident and even
lost his job as a result of the accusation.
“It was on 17 March of this year that five police officers
came and arrested me at my place of work,” a desperate Elvis Labonté told this
newspaper. “They charged me with rape and I was held for 24 hours on Praslin
after which they sent me to Mahé. I was then held for another 24 hours before
being subjected to a DNA test which involved a cheek swab. I and the other
detainees were not even given food or water until they released me the next
day”, he recounted.
Worse, he was
released without a return ticket to Praslin and he had to pay for his own way
home. Even more telling, Mr Labonté was not charged by the police, which
suggests that they realised they had the wrong suspect.
But the consolation
was bitter. For things were not as before when he reached home. Upon his return
to Praslin, Mr Labonté was informed by his employer that his services were no
longer required and that he was declared “persona non grata” at the tourism
establishment where he worked in Côte d’Or as a maintenance handyman.
“This made things worse as I was a casual worker and my
employer could dismiss me after hearing these allegations,” the man says. Elvis
Labonté managed to find another job but admits that his woes did not end there.
“I feel stigmatized by the community because people now see me as a rapist
despite the fact that I have repeatedly claimed my innocence and for nearly six
months I have tried to contact the police and the officer in charge of the
case– but to no avail. I just can’t seem to get in touch with them and their
excuses have not gotten me anywhere. I turned to the Human Rights Commission
(HRC) with the hope of obtaining some justice but it was the same story from
them. They just kept procrastinating and I’m still in the dark. I feel violated
and yet can’t even turn to the organization that is supposed to be there to
defend my rights,” the frustrated man said.
Mr Labonté, who is
also a single father to a five year old girl told TODAY that, “the police even
tried to run tests on my child but I refused since they were not even willing
to provide a certificate as proof of the procedure. Her schoolteacher also
refused, given that it would be a traumatic experience to the child”, he said
adding that the police has never been able to come up with “any concrete
evidence that proves any culpability on my part. I am appalled by the way the
police handled this situation. They treated me like I was guilty from day one
and showed no interest in hearing my side of the story – despite me telling
them that I was at home with my daughter when the incident allegedly happened.
The lack of support and professionalism from the HRC has also left a bitter
taste in my mouth as I had nowhere else to turn to,” he lamented.
As a last resort, Mr
Labonté contacted TODAY to tell his story. This newspaper in turn, spoke to the
police spokesperson Jean Toussaint who said he wasn’t aware of the case. Mr
Toussaint said however that Elvis Labonté should contact the unit that was
responsible for investigating such cases.
The officer we spoke
to at the Family Squad informed us that they were not at liberty to disclose
information of that nature to the press. They added that Mr Labonté could come
at the central police station to speak to the officer concerned, if he so
wanted. This, for Elvis Labonté, is a case of too little too late. He told this
newspaper that “it’s too late now. I have been after them for almost six months
and now they suddenly want me to come and see them. Can you believe the
audacity?”
Source: Today
